I went to get a physical (first one in a long time) at the age of 35. Because of family history of Prostate Cancer with my Grandfather and Father (both treated successfully with surgery), I asked to have my PSA taken. The doctor also performed a DRE at the time of the visit which was normal.

The results came back with a PSA of 3.8. First biopsy came back with 1 of 12 cores having high grade PIN. My PSA continued to rise and in April of 2011 I had another biopsy that came back with 1 of 24 cores with PCa Gleason 6. Bad news, I had cancer, Good news, we caught it extremely early.

After research, I was fairly certain that surgery was my best option at my age. I interviewed a few doctors and chose a doctor that had done the RALP on an older cousin of mine. I had my RALP done in September of 2011 and was in the hospital less than 24 hrs. The next week was long with the catheter but I made it.

I was coaching 3 soccer teams for my sons (maybe a bit ambitious at the time). I had incontinence issues during practice and games because of all of the yelling. I started going to a physical therapist who did wonders with me. Within a month I was pad free except for soccer. It is now 7 months post op and I have had 2 non-detectable PSA tests and I am back to 98%. I have been exercising 3-4 times a week and feel great. I took cialis for about 6 weeks and am off completely with great results. Just started soccer practice up again and no pads but slight leaks during intense games. Guess I need to keep working on the kegels.

I was nervous, anxious and scared. Thanks to God, my wife and family, I made it through wonderfully. I know that I couldn't say it before, during, or just after the fact, but I almost feel like it was a piece of cake. I feel very blessed and pray for every man that has to deal with this in their lifetime.

I have been so blessed. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to face this or any other form of cancer. I can honestly say that God has walked me through this journey that is, for the most part, a fleeting thought in the back of my mind. I was diagnosed a little over 3 years ago and treated almost 2 years ago. Today, I am leading a very normal, happy, productive life. I feel that my age was my biggest benefit in this, but obviously finding it early and having options was key. I don't have any issues with ED. I just have to remind myself not to let my bladder get too full, especially when drinking beer. I thank God and my family along with all of the countless others who have prayed for me. I hope to do the same and even more for cancer patients and survivors in the future.

I feel very blessed that we caught it as early as we did. Even though I was only 36 when diagnosed, I feel that my health, state of mind, outlook and faith have made this something that I rarely even think about. I continue to get my PSA checked and happily receive the same results each time. I share my story as often as possible and encourage guys to be proactive.

Just at about my 5 year anniversary from my surgery. I feel extremely blessed to say that it is a mere fleeting thought in my day-to-day life. All is well. T&P to anyone affected and I wish everyone's journey could be as successful as mine.

My health has not been adversely affected due to my diagnosis or treatment. I don't have any issues with ED. Just hit 7 years and all is good.

I am just a few months shy of 10 years being cancer free. I had my PSA checked a few months back and still undetectible. I feel thankful and blessed that my journey was what it was. I have had little to no side affects since my surgery. The only issue I have had is minor incontinence issues when I drink alcohol.

It has been more than 10 years since I was treated. I am very grateful for the doctors that provided me with excellent care during my diagnosis and treatment. It is not something that I think about on a regular basis as I have no daily reminders of it. On occasion, when I drink, I will experience some minor incontinence if I fail to keep my bladder empty. Here is to another 10 years.

I am so thankful to say that it isn't much more than a fleeting thought these days. I have realized that any potential incontinence issues are all but gone as of late. That might be because I drink less these days and that seemed to contribute. My last annual had a <.01 PSA result. I try to give back by giving blood on a regular basis and advocate early checks to any man that will listen.

It is hard to believe that at 50, I have been cancer-free for nearly 14 years! I am grateful for my journey and blessed to have had the doctors and nurses who treated me along the way, and my family supporting me. I would say my biggest takeaways would be catching it early, robotic surgery, post-surgery rehab (to work on my pelvic floor), and my health at the time of treatment. All of those contributed to my quick recovery with little to no side effects.

Case's e-mail address is: cmayag97 AT yahoo.com (replace "AT" with "@")